Transitioning to middle school

8/27/2018

It’s an exciting time for children – a new school year is starting! Read and Feed volunteers tutor elementary school children so that they can read and write on grade level. We want participants to be confident readers before entering middle school.

Middle school is demanding and the transition is often challenging, but there are ways to help children adjust to these new challenges. Children will interact with multiple teachers in different classrooms, and will have to juggle more homework assignments and extra-curricular activities. Teaching children about time management and how to keep an up-to-date calendar will make it easier to handle the increased workload.

It is also important to make sure that children eat a well-balanced nutritious breakfast and get enough sleep. In general, preteens need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night.

Surveys of students before and after the middle school transition show that students see themselves as less capable in middle school. This may be explained by developmental and bodily changes and the increasing demands of teachers and parents to get good grades, rather than simply to enjoy the learning process.

If you are a parent of a middle schooler, try to keep an open dialogue with your child and talk to him/her about their difficulties AND successes. Be sure to be understanding of the changes your child is going through and remember when you were that age.

Listen to Alexis talk about how Read and Feed prepared him for middle school